For a moment, I'd like to write not as an editor and journalist but as a 23-year resident of the city of Stockton.

Love the place. Just love it.

I left the city once, for a 3-year mistake of a move to Florida, and then moved back - amid derisive laughs from some people who couldn't believe I would actually move to Stockton twice. They just didn't get it. With that as a backdrop, fellow Stocktonians, a few questions:

» Do you feel better when you attend a downtown event and see Stockton cops patrolling?

» Do you like reading about a gang bust or big crime solved by SPD officers?

» Do you feel better that the homicide rate has plummeted this year?

» Do you feel more comfortable when multiple law-enforcement agencies work together to successfully halt crime?

» Do you like that Stockton officers work as often as possible in outreach efforts with the community?

» Do you feel frustrated with the up-tick in home-invasion crimes while SPD staffing levels have gone down?

» Do you shed a tear each year when the memorial ceremony for fallen officers is held and reported in this newspaper?

» Do you want more - significantly more - sworn officers in the Stockton Police Department?

Well, I sure do. I'll be voting "yes" on both Measures A and B.

Each voter has to make up his or her own mind. Don't cast your vote based only on our newspaper's "yes" editorial endorsement, the unified City Council's support, Dean Andal's strong opinions against the measure or the Stockton Police Officers Association's decision to go "neutral."

Make your decision, and then live with the outcome. Personally, not professionally, I want more police officers and the Marshall Plan programs that would go along with them if the Measure A 3/4-cent tax measure is passed.

It would be very unfortunate if politics are a deciding factor in whether Stockton citizens get 120 or so more police officers.

The SPOA's non-endorsement of the tax measure is unsettling. The SPOA says The Record played a role in its decision.

The union's press release stating SPOA's neutrality included this: "The forward movement we were experiencing ... was halted when Mr. Deis, Council member Tubbs and Council member Miller spoke with the Stockton Record on Sept. 14, 2013 ... We were disappointed to hear Council member Kathy Miller say during that recorded interview that 100 more cops on the streets 'might make us feel good' but wouldn't solve the problem. This is the same Kathy Miller who has time and time again referred to the SPOA as 'special interests.' The same Kathy Miller who called a previous plan for 100 additional cops on the street half-baked."

Some of Miller's comments have become the fulcrum of discourse for the Anti-Measure A group. In some cases, they've been embellished to include remarks and letters to the editor about spending Measure A money on "downtown development." She did not make those comments.

Overall, to the editorial board, she was supportive of all facets of Measure A, including the additional officers.

Miller believes the segment of video posted on our website was not inclusive of her overall stance. In retrospect, she has a point. Her comment that drew the ire of Andal (he made a Youtube video) and was a key reason the SPOA chose neutrality was proceeded by these words from Miller, which were not included on our original video:

"There are a lot of other services that have been drastically reduced in the city. There are a lot of powerful needs that add to our crime problem. And those won't be addressed, can't be addressed, by that sort of restricted tax."

She was making the "100 officers" comment in regards to the Stockton Safe Streets restricted tax measure - with funds only for more police - that was championed by Mayor Anthony Silva and ultimately halted.

That nuance likely won't matter to those against Measure A, because she did make a comment about "bringing on another hundred cops" to "make people feel better."

But we did not present her statement in its entirety.

While every other city employee group supports Measure A, the police union has opted to be Switzerland. If it wants to blame Miller, that's certainly the union's right. If it's simply a matter of trust - concern the money won't really be used for more cops - that's understandable, given Stockton's fiscal decisions over the years.

Two points to add: 1) Many voters will view this neutrality as a "no" endorsement. "If even the cops don't think they need more cops ...;" 2) If Measure A fails, let's pray none of the SPOA members end up in a situation where a pool of 120 more police could have potentially saved their lives - but they weren't available because of this short-sighted line drawn in the sand by SPOA leadership.

The Measure A tax initiative ultimately will be a matchup of Need versus Trust. As a citizen, I'm punching my ballot for "Need."

Contact Record Editor Mike Klocke at (209) 546-8250 or mklocke@recordnet.com.